This invention relates generally to the handling of elongated tubular drill pipe, and more particularly to tools for handling elongated drill pipe for insertion into a drill rig during the drilling operation.
Many versions of tools and/or devices currently exist to lift and maneuver drill pipe from a stowed position, to a working position on a drill rig. The stowed position usually is horizontal, or nearly so, in a rack, on the ground, or on a transport such as a separate truck or trailer type vehicle. The working position is normally in a vertical attitude inside a drilling derrick. A major shortcoming of these devices is that they are susceptible to accidental dropping of the drill pipe as it gets dislodged from the handling/lifting tool in its transition from the horizontal stowed position to the vertical working position, above ground level in a drill rig.
This problem is so common because the devices are designed to be easily applied on and removed from the drill pipe, so not to take time and effort away from the drilling functions. During the lifting and maneuvering of the heavy drill pipe in close proximity to the drill rig and its many components, the devices tend to become inadvertently either slid out of position, unlatched, or released, to a point where the drill pipe becomes unstable or ultimately is dropped.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present tools for handling elongated tubular drill pipe. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.